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Among the many disconnects between North Korea and the world is the sterility of its architecture and the relentless attempt to suppress the advantages of urban life: the diversity, bustle and commerce of a city. While the authorities take pride in their monuments—and minders force consent out of visitors--outsiders rightly see them as emblematic of all of the regime’s problems: huge white elephants that celebrate a personalist leadership.
Most North Korea watchers have at some point leafed through a standard travel guide and seen the highlights, such as the Grand Monument on Mansu Hill, with its commanding statue of Kim Il Sung and militarist themes, or the shots of the striking Puhung metro station virtually devoid of humans. But if you haven’t, Wallpaper.com, a design magazine, has posted a slideshow from Philip Meuser’s, Pyongyang: Architectural and Cultural Guide.
The book takes the regime’s aspirations at face value: v. 1 of the book contains photos and descriptions taken entirely from Pyongyang Foreign Languages Publishing House, without comment. But apparently v. 2 provides an extended commentary. From Wallpaper’s review:
“…Volume 2, which contains the real meat of the matter. 'There are very few places in the world where architecture is as inextricably linked to state ideology as in North Korea,' one section begins, and throughout this second book, Philipp Meuser presents a sober analysis of a society paralysed by propaganda, secrecy and insularity.
Pyongyang's 'model city' credentials - as dictated by the celebratory output of the Foreign Languages Publishing House - are revealed to be transparently false. Nevertheless, this is an environment rich in a very particular form of artistry, and the role of art and architecture as a tool of social control is laid bare for all to see.”
